our new tiger 4x4

[lqhikers]

we just returned from 4 weeks on the road,first major trip.

we traveled the back roads of nevada.dirt, gravel,4x4 roads,Idaho to the sawtooths, did not stay long in idaho as the water in the rivers were way to
high for good fishing so ended up coming back through reno,then through the back roads south along 395.

tiger came through as expected,nothing broke,rattled,leaked,or made funny noises!

the biggest thing i noticed was how stable the truck is on off camber trails as we have had hard sided truck campers,fwc campers in the past
the tiger handles ride wise as good as our tacoma with fwc did.

on washboard roads it rides better than any truck we have had in the past,i feel the weight of the one ton truck keeps the truck from skipping
our tacoma seemed looser at speed,just my feelings.

we were fully loaded with dual sport motorcycle on rear carrier,lots of slow speed 4x4 use,not that the trails were extreme,but i like to use 4x4
on any rough or rocky roads to take the strain off of running gear.

our total milage since new in april 2012 is now 6500 miles,6.0 gas 12.77 mpg (i use total truck milage as a true mpg not trip milage)

150 watts of solar power kept us in ice cubes for the whole trip!

no trip pictures, sorry this is just a update on our tiger usage.

drive slow and enjoy "its the journey"

Les,lqhikers

[ersatzknarf]

Hi Les,
Thank you for all of the updates.
I just went through and re-read your posts.
You folks did a really very thorough job with how you ordered your Bengal.
Your mods all make a lot of sense. Please can you detail the battery/outlet modification ? Sorry, but it was a little unclear for me...
Did the Aluminess (?) rear bumper come from Provan or was it added after, may I ask ?
One thing that I was also curious about was the truck order prior to the conversion. Does Provan take care of that or is the customer responsible for the order ?
I probably missed that on their website
Thanks for all the great information you are sharing.
If someone is going to order a new Tiger, this thread is definitely a must read ! ! !

[lqhikers]

Frank,
thanks for your remarks,in regards to the rear of tiger what you see is what comes with standard tiger
swing out tire carrier (very stout) alum. storage box.
i added shovel/axe mount,bike carrier (removable).

its hard to explain how i modified access to battery,but once you look at the way tiger does it
it comes clear. the panel where the propane detector is located is easy to unscrew with this out of the way
you can unscrew wiring runs,which by the way are really run and mounted nicely.after this you have to remove some carpet that is used for sound proofing.
the cover for batteries is screwed down.what i did is enlarge access to batteries built new cover with lip so as to be able to access compartment just
with 2 screws to remove,wiring is long enough to re-route so it does not intrude with access.

for most people this is not needed but as i added solar wiring and invertor wiring directly to batteries i wanted to be able to service as needed.

Yes i did order the truck thru Provan and it came in as ordered and it was less than quote here in calif.maybe because they are made in the east,less shipping?

hope this answers your questions.

Les,lqhikers

[suntinez]

its hard to explain how i modified access to battery,but once you look at the way tiger does it
it comes clear. the panel where the propane detector is located is easy to unscrew with this out of the way
you can unscrew wiring runs,which by the way are really run and mounted nicely.after this you have to remove some carpet that is used for sound proofing.
the cover for batteries is screwed down.what i did is enlarge access to batteries built new cover with lip so as to be able to access compartment just
with 2 screws to remove,wiring is long enough to re-route so it does not intrude with access.

for most people this is not needed but as i added solar wiring and invertor wiring directly to batteries i wanted to be able to service as needed.

Les - glad to hear everything is working out well for you. Sounds like a great first extended trip.

If you get a chance could you post some pics of the changes to your electrical system? Mostly the battery bank/inverter/solar controller location and access to it. I have seen multiple different setups in Tigers, and the ways folks have modified them to suit their needs. Sometimes access is from outside, sometimes from inside - everyone does it different.

This is an area that's soon to get re-vamped in mine, so I'm curious about yours. I've admired the mods you made to your FWC and imagine you've done an excellent job with the new guy too.

Thanks, Linda

[ersatzknarf]

Frank,

hope this answers your questions.

Les,lqhikers

Hi Les,
Yes and thanks ! ! !

[lqhikers]

I was laying on my creeper under our tiger (don't we all spend time underneath our rigs?)and saw a big open space
could not let space go to waste so after measuring i found there was room to add a storage compartment that was 30"
deep,and if section was tapered,due to truck frame intruding it would fit.
did mock up with cardboard had to build in two sections to install.
built it out of 1/2"plywood painted inside and out.
due to it being within 4" of muffler i added a heat shield with 1 inch space.
door is framed in alum angle and is kept closed with 2 mag catches.
this might work for other tiger owners.our truck is a 2012 reg cab 4x4 chevy, so do not know if fords or dodges would have
a open space.

Les,lqhikers

[lqhikers]

Since the battery compartment was a hassle to get into i decided to redo what should of been done at factory.
first i removed panels under sofa,they are held together with screws that can only be accessed from the inside.
i relocated the 12v outlet and 110v outlet to the one panel that had the propane detector mounted on it,doing this made it possible to re-route wiring
so when i unscrewed 4 relocated screws to the out side the panel then can be removed to give room to get into the battery compartment.

the factory does not leave the access clear you have to cut out a piece of the vinyl and remount the water pump.
doing this leaves a small gap in the floor where vinyl was removed the second piece of metal (alum) i added covers gap
and is not noticeable when everything is back together.
now i can reach the batteries by removing the 2 screws that the arrows point to.

i also used this area to mount a small inverter to use when needed.

hope this helps other tiger owners unhappy with battery access.

Les,lqhikers

[lqhikers]

solar controller is mounted under cabinet above counter top area,wiring is through roof to controller then routed
through cabinets to battery compartment,simple and easy to service.

we removed rear cushion on sofa (did not use it).mounted 4 brackets makes ideal travel storage for 2 chairs and our small alum fold up table.
they stay clean and do not rattle.

and of course everyone needs quick access to your wasp spray and bear spray!

and that is the update on our latest mods.

Les,lqhikers

[suntinez]

I was laying on my creeper under our tiger (don't we all spend time underneath our rigs?)and saw a big open space could not let space go to waste so after measuring i found there was room to add a storage compartment that was 30" deep,and if section was tapered,due to truck frame intruding it would fit.

did mock up with cardboard had to build in two sections to install.
built it out of 1/2"plywood painted inside and out.
due to it being within 4" of muffler i added a heat shield with 1 inch space.
door is framed in alum angle and is kept closed with 2 mag catches.
this might work for other tiger owners.our truck is a 2012 reg cab 4x4 chevy, so do not know if fords or dodges would have
a open space.

Les,lqhikers

Smart - I'll be diving back under mine now to see if that space is available on my Ford. It's such a big step up, I should've thought to look there before.

With the directly in front of the door location, it's a great space for storage. I recall someone (Lance?/aka NoNeck) building storage compartments into the floor of his CX, but his access was through the standing surface inside so a bit different. Beautiful craftsmanship as usual.

Thanks for the updates and pics of your electrical/solar setup. I really wonder sometimes about the folks who design these things - and Provan is admittedly much better than most. Do they never break down? Do they never need service in the field? Anyhow it looks like you've solved your battery access issues in style, appreciate you sharing the solution - food for thought as I ponder my own.

I really like the smaller rear window on yours, much better than an all-the-way across one which is then covered by a "waterproof" bathroom curtain.

Enjoy ...

[DiploStrat]

Really nice work!